MOVIE NEWS – Rockstar Games has reportedly rejected plans for a live-action GTA adaptation starring Eminem.

Shocker, Grand Theft Auto hasn’t got a feature film adaptation yet! This is strange, as the trend for video game movies has been on the rise lately. But as it turns out, it’s not for lack of trying in Hollywood that the film is on hold. According to Kirk Ewing (State of Emergency), a friend of Rockstar founders Sam Houser and Dan Houser, the idea of a GTA movie was mooted at one point, but the company eventually dropped the idea. If it had been made, Eminem could have been cast in the lead role.

The reveal was made on the BBC’s Bugzy Malone’s Grandest Game podcast (via ComicBook.com).

According to Ewing, the GTA movie almost happened sometime after the release of Grand Theft Auto 3, which was a massive hit on consoles in 2001.

Around that time, an unnamed Hollywood producer approached the studio with an offer to make a live-action movie. It would be directed by Top Gun director Tony Scott and star hip-hop icon Eminem, who was starting his acting career.

It’s unclear why, but the Housers turned down the GTA movie. Perhaps they doubted that a film adaptation could faithfully recreate the game. After all, this was long before recent films like Sonic the Hedgehog and the new Mortal Kombat had reversed their opinion of video game adaptations. In 2001, a decade had still not passed since the release of the original Super Mario Bros. film. A succession of highly criticised adaptations, such as Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and Street Fighter, was made. It wasn’t until the 2010s that we had to wait for a genuinely watchable video game adaptation.

Since then, major game adaptations have been made: next year, we’ll get a smaller batch.

The next big thing is The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It will be in cinemas in April 2023. Adaptations based on several other popular games are also in the pipeline, including The Last of Us, Bioshock, Twisted Metal, Five Nights at Freddy’s and another Sonic the Hedgehog movie. There is always the possibility that a GTA adaptation will one day join the queue.

Source: ComicBook.com